How to determine cause(s) of hemoptysis

[LeftY]

Hey guys,

can you please tell me how to find cause of constant bleeding?

i have hemoptysis at least 1 time per week and its very very alot and "gruesome".
the amount is different, it could be 1dcl to i would say 3dcl maybe even more.
in february i was hospitalized for a 2 weeks to do "checkup" on me, they did CT and didnt found anything that could cause my problem.
my fev1 is around 81 to 86, it depends; and im not sick offten.
but the da*n blood just keeps going and going -.-

(i tried to convert dcl to ounces, im not sure thats 100% correct: 1dcl -> 3.38 oz, 2dcl -> 6.76 oz)

 

[kenna2]

The causes of hemoptysis is usually caused from an infection or just over use of the lungs. My doctor compares this to a skinned knee. If this happens you need to stop all physical activity, hold off on airway clearance, and rest to prevent it from getting worse. Hold off on these things for a couple of hours and work back into these things slowly. It's extremely important that you make sure it has passed.

Some things you might want to check into to maybe help with this is increasing your iron intake. You blood levels might show you have low iron in your blood. Another thing to do is to increase your water intake.

Another thing to remember is that you're not coughing up as much blood as you think you are. The majority of what you are coughing up is saliva that has blood mixed in with it. The amount of actual blood might be more like in the teaspoon(tsp) or tablespoon (Tbsp)range. If its more than a tablespoon you need to put a call into your doctor.

 

[LeftY]

Thanks for answering.
I know that it seems much more than it is in reality, but i had glass where i spit all that stuff and ti was 2/3 full. glass was 3dcl/10oz so there was a lot of that stuff.
Im gonna call my doc tomorrow and see whats next, because i have this problem for a years and noone believes me lol.

 

[mom2two]

I wish I knew!! I have never coughed up blood, then suddenly last Friday, yeehaw, there it was! After about 7-8 hours, it stopped. Why did it start in the first place?

Lefty, it sounds like your FEV1 is pretty good. I've asked docs about coughing up blood and the quick and very unsatisfying answer is that some people are just much more prone to it. I did a TON of aerobic exercise as a child, did a lot of distance running, swim team, you name it. Maybe that helped strengthen the blood vessels in my lungs? I dont know. Does anyone else have any "data" on this? I do know that several of my CF friends were not that active at all, and they both did cough up blood quite a bit. But this is not exactly a sample size........

 

[LeftY]

i will go to checkup at hospiral tomorrow, they said that only things that remains to do is gastroscopy and bronchoscopy, after that they will see whats next..
only thing what i hate, it being in hospital when im healthy and wait for stuff like that..

ps
im going to gym 3 times per week and when i work hard, it usually ends with blood -.-

 

[mom2two]

lefty,
I did notice that as my lung function declined, the harder I worked out, the more asthma and reactive airway disease I would have (but no blood). What happens if you moderate your workouts? Good luck at the hospital. Please let us know what they find.

 

[Printer]

In the USA there is a drug that is given to control this problem. It is called TRANEXAMIC ACID, it is given in 650 mg tab by mouth every 8 hours for only 3 to 5 days. I hope that is available in Croatia.

Bill

 

[LeftY]

hey guys, thank you all for your feedback. i checked into hospital today and show them video of my hemoptysis (yeah i recorded it) and they said that it was ultra urgent and why didnt i call ambulance to take me to the hospital...
anyway, im currently at iv's and waiting for a bronchoscopy which will happen on monday.
due to serious of my hemoptysis, they dont know when i will be released. "worst" thing is that i feel great and nothing pains me ;/

ps
@Printer i dont think that we have this here... we dont even have embolization for causes like mine, its just like "live with it" :S

 

[Kristan]

Best of luck in the hospital. Hope they figure out where in the lungs the blood is coming from and provide a solution.

I use to have considerable hemoptysis before an embolization about 8 years ago. Doctors always say it seems like a lot of blood, but there is mucus too. No...you pretty much know when it is straight blood. Even in the hospital, when it is happening, nurses really can not do much, but wait to see if it will stop. My lung function is much lower and the blood vessels in the lungs get much larger with the chronic inflammation.


I assume you are taking vitamin K. I think you may be able to get Tranexamic Acid online. Also, evaluate anything new you might be taking that is a blood thinner. Something as simple as fish oil can contribute to the problem.

 

[Lizlas99]

A bronchoscopy will not find find bleeding vessels unless they are very high up . You need a high resolution CT scan with contrast dye injected . I've had years of hemoptysis constant bronchoscopys after severe episodes and Drs saw nothing . Bronchoscopys can't reach and see vessels bleeding further down ! Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with hemoptysis..I know how scary it can be ! . I had 4 vessels embolized called BAE Bronchial ARTETY Embolisaton .
Done in July 2015 . Long standing bronchiectasis and MDR bacteria cause hemoptysis for me . I resisted the procedure for years . But was thankful I did it . Google it for more info . Plastic pellets are shot into the bleeding vessels through your thigh vein . If the vessels are larger metal coils are used . I had the pellets . A very well trained interventional radiologist performs this procedure. Well that's the speciality who does it in canada . There is a chance that a vessel supplying your nerves can be accidentally embolized and paralysis or partial can result . And vessels called collateral vessels will grow to re-establish blood flow to the area . Hemoptysis can occur again even with this procedure . a BAE can be the end of hemoptysis. I lasted 1.5 years before it started again. I wanted an BAE again in December 2016 , but tobramycin Iv stopped the hemoptysis. It's done with contrast dye and a high res cat scan . I had some chest tightness after and a bit of pain. But that resolved quickly . Contrast dye must be injected to see what vessels are bleeding . There was a vessel that was twisty and curvey and after 4 attempts the radiologist left it . I would not hesitate to have this done again if need be ! And was upset actually when I wasnt getting it done when admitted in December 2016 with more hemoptysis. But thankfully Iv Tobra resolved it. I hope doing a HR CT scan with contrast dye will find these vessels and you can have a successful BAE procedure that lasts a long time for you! Please keep us posted ! Good luck I just reread your post and you say this procedure is not available to you ! Is it possible for you to be seen at a large CF teaching hospital ? More likelyhood they can do the BAE procedure . In some cases the part of lung most damaged causing the hemoptysis can be removed . Vitamin K can help thicken the blood and here we also use transemic acid aka cyclocapron . It's a 500 mg pill , sometimes I take 6 a day for 3,000 mg daily . Some go as high as 12 pills a day . For some it helps for me I don't find it helpful or the vitamin k neither ..